Chungnam Buyeo and Cheongyang Declared 'Special Disaster Areas'

Chungnam Governor Kim Tae-heum held a press conference at the Chungnam Provincial Office on the 22nd to announce the government's declaration of Buyeo and Cheongyang areas as 'Special Disaster Zones.' Provided by Chungnam Province

Press conference on the declaration of Special Disaster Zones held

[Asia Economy (Hongseong) Reporter Jeong Il-woong] The areas of Buyeo and Cheongyang in Chungnam have been declared special disaster zones.

According to Chungnam Province on the 22nd, the government has prioritized declaring 10 local governments nationwide that meet the criteria for special disaster zones among the heavy rain damage areas as special disaster zones.

A special disaster zone is declared by the president to support recovery efforts in areas severely affected by major accidents or natural disasters.

Earlier, Chungnam Governor Kim Tae-heum made an emergency visit to Buyeo and Cheongyang on the 14th and requested Minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min to declare the areas as special disaster zones.

Then, on the 16th, Governor Kim met Minister Lee, who visited Buyeo and Cheongyang in person, explained the damage and recovery situation, and reiterated the necessity of declaring the special disaster zones.

Once declared a special disaster zone, national government support for damage recovery is significantly expanded, reducing the local government's financial burden.

The support scale includes 16 million KRW for completely destroyed or washed-away houses, 8 million KRW for partially damaged houses, 2 million KRW for flooded houses, and 6 million KRW for tenant deposit and rent, with up to 80% of these covered by national funds.

Additionally, about 70% of public facility restoration costs are supported, and national funding for farmland restoration and damage to agricultural and forestry facilities is also increased.

Indirect benefits include reductions in health insurance premiums, communication fees, electricity bills, city gas charges, and district heating fees.

Governor Kim said, “We will concentrate all administrative efforts to promptly complete emergency recovery and make every effort to help disaster victims return to their daily lives as soon as possible. The province will also establish a comprehensive recovery plan to prepare for disasters like this year’s in the future.”

Meanwhile, from the 8th to the 17th, Chungnam received an average cumulative rainfall of 297.4 mm. By city and county, Buyeo recorded the highest rainfall at 431.5 mm, followed by Cheongyang with 404.5 mm and Boryeong with 392.5 mm.

The scale of damage in Chungnam due to the heavy rain is tentatively estimated at 1,145 cases and property damage amounting to 36.6 billion KRW as of 6 p.m. on the 21st.

There were also two deaths and one injury, with 111 disaster victims from 75 households. Currently, 37 people from 18 households are living in temporary housing facilities.

The province has deployed 15,442 personnel and 1,952 pieces of equipment to the site and has completed emergency recovery for 689 out of 814 public facilities (84.6%).

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.